The New Orleans Saints’ OTAs have officially begun, and this has sparked fan conjecture. Derek Carr, the quarterback signed by the Saints for $150 million last offseason, has dominated the on-field talk.
In his rookie season, the four-time Pro Bowler completed over 70% of his passes for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions while operating Pete Carmichael’s system. Despite those figures, the Saints finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, the second under Dennis Allen.
The topic surrounding the signal-caller has heated up since OTAs began, thanks to Carr’s comment about the adjustments he had to make after coming in New Orleans last season. “I just didn’t realize how difficult it would be to find a church, a school, a house, and ensure my wife’s safety because she didn’t have any friends out here yet. I didn’t consider how much it would hurt my family.
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On the football side, he had to adjust to a new coaching staff, offensive system, teammates, and facility. These are things that take time to adjust to and become comfortable with, which is why Carr suffered so much early in 2023. Now, coming into 2024, 90% of that is completed.
“That’s where I’m most excited because I feel like myself more now than I did probably 12 months ago.”
This offseason, the offensive system is new, but it’s new for everyone, and Carr explains how this benefits everyone involved.
“The cool part about this time is we’re all learning together,” Carr stated. “There is something about going through it together. Like last year, I’m the guy who is constantly learning new things and trying to keep up. Well, everyone is assisting me. But the good thing about this is that we’re all beginning over, and I now feel more like a leader than a coach. When you do something like that together, the brotherhood and unity become even stronger. That’s the thrilling aspect for us: we’re going through it together. We make mistakes, learn from them, and do things together.
His conclusion to the 2023 season should give Saints fans a lot of confidence coming into 2024, with a new offensive scheme, an upgraded offensive line, and a skill group that can compete with the rest of the league.
I see a lot of people saying, “Spencer Rattler is going to take the job from Carr,” but I don’t believe it. In the long run, I believe Rattler is the franchise’s future, but Derek Carr has spent his whole career as a consistently effective quarterback, which is precisely what the Black and Gold require right now with all of the changes taking place in the building. Consistently performing the simple things correctly leads to success, but fans must remain patient while the entire offence evolves… for the better.
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